Officials at Allegheny General Hospital, where Magovern introduced many of his cutting-edge techniques, say he died Monday.

The surgeon's son, Dr. George Magovern Jr., says his father is recognized for heart surgery techniques in the same way that Pittsburgh doctors Jonas Salk and Thomas Starzl are recognized for their work with the polio vaccine and organ transplants, respectively.

George Magovern Jr. is chief of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery at Allegheny Health Network, which includes the hospital where his father did his work.

The elder Magovern is best known for co-inventing a sutureless heart valve, which was first used in 1962. The device reduced the time of such surgeries, increasing the odds that patients would survive.